Staff nurses and students: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Elements identified by student nurses as impacting learning in the clinical learning environment were explored. A significant element identified by participants was the staff nurse. Strategies for improvement and increasing learning opportunities are included in the discussion.

Advance directives: curriculum content and preparation of nursing students.

The amount of didactic content on advance directives in nursing curricula is addressed. Conclusions have relevance to the limited knowledge of practicing nurses on the subject of advance directives.

The impact of a palliative care educational component on attitudes toward care of the dying in undergraduate nursing students.

Nurse educators have identified that historically nurses have not been prepared to care for dying patients. Research also has identified that nursing students have anxieties about death, dying, and caring for dying patients. Several factors have been identified as affecting nurses' and nursing students' attitudes toward care of the dying.